Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) recently hosted Charlie Smith, Director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP), for a day of collaboration, site engagement and strategic dialogue at the Savannah River Site (SRS). Small business contractors have long driven innovation across DOE missions, contributing to scientific research, national security, environmental cleanup and infrastructure modernization.

SRNS has played a key role in integrating small businesses into
mission delivery, enhancing supply chain resiliency, and leveraging emerging technologies to modernize acquisition practices. In FY25, SRNS expanded small business participation at SRS, with over $572 million in commitments, representing 63.3% of total procurements and surpassing DOE’s 50% goal.

“Today's federal procurement landscape requires the entire DOE Compex to focus on innovation, agility, and leveraging small businesses as core partners to achieve meaningful outcomes,” said Jay Johnson, Deputy Senior Vice President, Business Services. “We are modernizing our procurement practices to foster greater accessibility, competition and smarter use of taxpayer dollars.”

As SRNS embarks on a new era of national defense capabilities while maintaining long-standing EM missions, the team is building a robust ecosystem of small businesses, diverse suppliers, and industry partners to meet the scale and complexity of future projects. The tour showcased significant work in nuclear materials management, site cleanup, infrastructure modernization and also highlighted SRNS’ small business engagement strategy and the successes of the “small business first” philosophy.  Savannah River Nuclear Solutions’ Supplier Mission Readiness and Engagement team hosts Charlie Smith, Director, DOE OSBP. 

“SRNS has done incredible work for the small business community, including recognition with the Dwight D. Eisenhower Award from the U.S. Small Business Administration,” said Smith. “It was great to meet the SRNS team and see firsthand how their efforts empower small businesses to support DOE missions.”

Modernizing Industry Engagement and Data Driven
Innovation

SRNS leads in innovative engagement strategies, enhancing communication, collaboration, and transparency with suppliers through outreach, matchmaking events and strategic partnerships. In FY25, SRNS attended numerous outreach events and hosted two “Small Business Opportunity Day” events to strengthen industry partnerships and connect with diverse suppliers.

Transforming data into actionable insights, SRNS utilized supplier performance metrics and advanced analytics to drive improvements in on-time delivery, cost efficiency and risk mitigation. The team implemented initiatives like the Supplier Risk Assessment and a Supplier Portal to foster real-time small business reporting and enhance decision-making processes.

Expanding the Small Business Industrial Base

Through mentoring, capability development, and advocacy, SRNS has increased small business participation to record levels, ensuring a resilient supply chain for future mission demands. SRNS has leveraged mentor-protégé partnerships since FY18, awarding over $208 million to protégé subcontractors and supporting mission-critical scopes in areas such as construction, staff augmentation and information technology 

SRNS fostered a diverse supplier base through strategic measures, transitioning to a Supplier Management focus, which includes strategic planning, continuous improvement and performance monitoring. The Supplier Technical Assessment and Validation (STAV) Program enhanced supplier capabilities, aligning with executive orders and national security goals. In FY25, SRNS completed 25 STAVs and 18 Manufacturing Extension Partnership Lean assessments. SRNS and DOE OSBP continue to build a dynamic, data informed, and inclusive supplier ecosystem to fuel mission success. As SRNS advances EM and NNSA missions, it remains committed to modernization, SRNS Small Business Opportunity Day welcomed over 400 small businesses and diverse suppliers.

The SRNS STAV team perform a manufacturing facility review with a potential supplier who specializes in solvent system designs innovation, and performance excellence, shaping the golden era of energy dominance envisioned by DOE leadership.